Sleep Over
by mabelreid
Summary: One Shot When JJ goes into labor, Spencer takes charge of Henry. He soon realizes that there's something bothering his young godson. Set between seasons 10 and 11


**_A/n please enjoy this one shot which takes place between seasons 10 and 11. Reid agrees to take charge of Henry when JJ goes into labor with her next child. Please enjoy._**

Reid was at his chess set when a knock at his door alerted him to his expected guests. He hurried to answer it as his heart rate went up a notch from worry.

"Hey," Will said when he opened the door.

"Hi," Spencer replied as they entered.

"Thank you for taking Henry for us," JJ greeted.

Her long blond hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail and her eyes were weary. She winced and touched her abdomen with one hand.

"How far apart are they?" He asked as he led them down the short hall to his bedroom.

"Ten minutes," Will said.

"JJ…" Reid admonished.

"We're fine," she assured him.

Will was in the process of putting a sleeping Henry inside the sleeping bag which lay on a small air mattress at on side of Spencer's bed room.

"As I recall, you said the same thing to Garcia when Henry was born."

"This time I don't have to worry about you," she reminded him. "Besides, this is my second baby, Spence. I know what to expect."

"She's fine," Will whispered as they backed out of the room and hurried down the hall to the living area.

"Sometimes second babies arrive quickly," Spencer worried.

"We're twenty minutes from the hospital," JJ said. She hugged him tight. "It's going to be fine." She put a bag on the couch. "We packed a change of clothes for Henry and a couple of his favorite toys. If you get called in, Jessica agreed to watch him. I'm sure he'd love the chance to hang out with Jack."

"Alright," he acknowledged. "We'll be just fine. Drive safe and congratulations."

She gave him a huge smile and her tired eyes sparkled. "Thanks, Spence."

"Yeah, thanks." Will said and opened the door. "We'll call you when it's over."

Spencer watched them leave, then went to his window to watch them get into the car and drive off. He rubbed the bridge of his nose while he stood staring off into the night until he remembered that Henry was asleep in his room.

Henry was still out when Spencer entered and pulled off his robe. It was a little after midnight and he should go sleep, but he was wide awake thinking about JJ and wondering if she'd have a boy or a girl this time.

He considered both possibilities. If she had a girl –oh, that was a nerve wracking thought – how would he get along with her? He'd done fine with Henry, but was that because they're both males and he knew how to relate to another male no matter the nearly thirty year age difference. What if he didn't know how to get along with a baby girl? What if she hated him? He shook his head. He was getting ahead of the game, after all.

"Get a hold of yourself. This isn't about you, it's about JJ and Will, and Henry." he said quietly to the room.

He climbed into his bed and shut off the light. The Starship Enterprise nightlight in the corner glowed with reassuring blue light and he stared at it as he continued to think about the possibility of a baby girl. How would Henry take having a little sister? How would JJ feel after losing another baby girl?

He turned over and looked at the little boy sleeping just inside the reach of the night light. He could barely see Henry's face and his blond hair that was identical to JJ's beautiful locks. What if she had another boy? Would Henry get along better with a little brother? Would the new baby like him? Reid wondered if the new baby would look like JJ or Will this time.

"Go to sleep," he whispered. "I'm sure when you wake up, it'll be all over and then you'll know what to expect." He turned over again, but going to sleep was more difficult then solving the three body problem.

He must have fallen asleep at some point, though. It felt like he'd just made it to the depths of Morpheus's realm, when something tugged on one of his hands and a little voice said. "Uncle Spence, wake up?"

He blinked his eyes and Henry stood next to his bed with his blond hair standing on end and a confused expression on his face. "Gotta go to the bathroom," he said.

"Oh, well I'll show you."

He decided that when Henry was finished, he needed the bathroom, but in the meantime what he wanted was a cup of strong coffee. His eyes felt grainy and he had the makings of a headache, a sure sign he hadn't sleep sufficiently.

He was still in the kitchen when he heard. "Uncle Spence, where's mommy and daddy?"

The little boy padded into the room, still wearing a blue tee shirt and little blue and white stripped pajama bottoms. He rubbed at his eyes and frowned upon seeing that the living area didn't contain his parents.

"Your mommy went to the hospital to have the baby," Spencer said. "You get to stay with me until Mommy comes home."

Henry's mouth twisted into a pout. "Okay."

Reid observed him for a minute, then said. "I'm making your favorite chocolate chip pancakes. Want to help me?"

Henry nodded, but his beautiful blue eyes were as unhappy as Reid had ever known. He gave Henry a bag of chocolate chips and a plastic measuring cup. "You want to fill this?"

Henry poured out the chips. Some of them overflowed and fell to the floor. Reid picked them up and dropped them in the trash without comment. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, Uncle Spence." His voice was monotone and empty of his usual enthusiasm for time spent with his godfather.

"Henry?" Reid asked casually as he added the chocolate chips to the batter. "Are you mad at me?"

The boy looked at him like he'd said the worst thing in the world. "No."

"I'm glad because I can tell you're upset and I was hoping it wasn't me."

"I'm not mad at you, Uncle Spence. I just want to go home."

"You miss your mom and dad," Reid interpreted as he added one quarter cup portions of batter to a heated electric skillet."

"Yeah."

Reid watched the pancakes for bubbles while he thought about why his normally gregarious godson had suddenly gone monosyllabic.

"Don't worry. Soon, your parents will be back and you'll have a new brother or sister."

The little boy nodded and then abruptly left the kitchen area and went to the couch and his bag. He picked it went into Reid's bedroom.

The pancakes were beginning to give of the delicious smell of melted chocolate and bubble on top. Spencer flipped them and thought hard. It was time to take a different tact.

Twenty minutes later he persuaded Henry to eat one pancake, some scrambled eggs and drink some orange juice. Henry dressed, and by the time he returned to the living area, Reid had collected several items they'd need for the project Reid had in mind.

"Hey, buddy, I have an idea."

Henry sat on the couch but he didn't look at Reid. Spencer sighed. "When I was your age I didn't have any friends."

Henry finally made eye contact. "Really?"

"No one wanted to be my friend because I was smarter then all of them."

"Why?"

"People, especially children, don't like what they don't understand. They didn't understand why I was in the fifth grade instead of the first grade. They didn't like that I had the answers to all the questions. They were jealous."

"What does jealous mean?"

"It means that you want something you can't have because it belongs to someone else. You become angry and sometimes want to strike at the person that has what you want. Sometimes they want to hurt you."

"Did the other kids hurt you, Uncle Spence?"

He clamped down hard on the memories and the pain that still occasioned those thoughts. "Sometimes, but it wasn't bad," he lied.

Henry slid over to him and put his little arms around one of Reid's arms. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's okay. I have lots of friends that don't care that I'm smart. They care about me a lot. And, I have a godson that's totally awesome."

His godson's eyes were still sad, but the boy gave him a little smile. Reid showed him what he'd gathered for them. "I had to take care of my mom when I was little because she was sick so I didn't get to do lots of things you get to do. I was wondering if you'd like to build a fort with me."

Henry gave him a genuine smile and his eyes lit up. "Yeah… That's fun."

"We're going to build the best fort in the world. We have lot of blankets and we can use all the chairs and the sofa. It'll be just for us."

He let Henry take the lead in all the items he wanted to be a part of their indoor fort. The construction of said fort took much longer than Reid had anticipated, but it was finished by lunch time and was a thing to behold.

It ran the length of his sofa and was held up at both ends by stacked books and two chairs from his kitchen. His blankets, a couple of old bed sheets and two throw rugs made up the roof, sides and doors. He had to crawl on his hands and knees, but Henry could just walk in by crouching down.

He set up a battery operated lantern for light, two coloring books, crayons, story books and his chess board. For added comfort, he piled more blankets and sheets on the floor. They sat in the dim light of the cave with their sandwiches and glasses of milk for lunch. Reid had decided to indulge in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with Henry because he hadn't had one in years. It reminded him of good days with his mother when she'd make them and they'd walk to the park for a picnic.

"Uncle Spence, what are you thinking about?"

"I was thinking about my mom. Sometimes, when she was feeling well, we'd go to the park and have a picnic and read books.

Henry chewed a bite from the second half of his sandwich. "My mommy and daddy take me to the park sometimes."

"I'll bet that's fun."

"Yeah…"

Henry didn't talk again until they were finished with their lunch and were sitting side by side with their backs to the couch.

"Uncle Spence, do you have a brother or sister?"

"No."

Henry looked down at his feet and then back at Spencer who was stacking their plates and glasses. He opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again. "I don't wanna have a brother or sister."

Spencer faced him, with his legs crossed Lotus fashion. "Why not, buddy?"

"My friend, David, said babies are noisy and they smell bad."

"Is that all?" Spencer asked and managed not to chuckle.

"David said parents like babies better than kids like me."

"Henry, your mommy and daddy love you more than anything. Your baby brother, or sister will need you and your parents. You see, babies are pretty helpless at first. I remember when you were a baby. I got to do lots of neat things like, hold you, and feed you and play with you. You'll get to do some of those things too."

Henry thought about Spencer's words for a minute, then his large blue eyes began to glisten with tears.

"Uncle Spence, do you like babies more than little boys?"

Spencer pulled the little boy into his arms and held him tight. "No!" He said hoarsely. He held onto Henry for several moments, as he tried to get his storming emotions under control.

Finally he was able to say. "Do you know that when I first met your mommy, little kids didn't like me at all?"

"Why?" Henry looked up at him incredulous eyes.

"I'm not sure," Reid said. "I was kind of nervous around small children and babies. The first time I held you, I knew that something was different. It was like a kind of strange magic that happened and I didn't feel nervous or frightened anymore. No matter how many babies are born or how many children I'm fortunate to have in my life, you'll always be special to me, Henry. "

"I'm glad," Henry whispered. "I love you, Uncle Spence."

"I love you too, Henry. Thank you for showing me that I don't have to be afraid of babies or little children."

They sat together for a while until Reid suggested that they color in their coloring books, and then it would be time for a nap.

Spencer was in the middle of adding sandy brown scales to his dinosaur when Henry said. "Uncle Spence, what if I get a sister?"

He looked over at Henry and saw that he wasn't unhappy, but his eyes were concerned as they watched him.

"I think a little sister would be neat. You'd get to be her big brother and protect her and love her. You can teach her everything you know about life and always treat her with respect."

"Girls are yucky," Henry said resolutely.

"Remember that your mother and Aunty Penelope are girls?" Reid reminded him as he tried not to laugh.

"Oh yeah, well I guess a girl is okay, but I hope the baby is a boy."

Reid picked up the box of Crayons and began searching for green. "No matter what happens, your mom and dad will always love you and I know you'll think your little brother or sister is pretty neat."

Henry still didn't look convinced, but he didn't have tears in his eyes, so Spencer left the subject alone until his phone rang. He answered it, spoke for several minutes to the person on the other end then took Henry's hand.

"Your daddy called. You have a little brother, Henry."

"Yay," Henry cried. "It's not a yucky girl."

Spencer laughed because he couldn't stop the chuckles from escaping his lips. "Well, a boy's nice but, I think girls are pretty cool, too."

Henry twisted up his mouth in disgust, "There's a girl at school, Marcy, and she always says she's my girlfriend."

Spencer bit the inside of his mouth, hard. He'd never had that problem in school, but he could see how it'd be annoying. Luckily, he was saved from advice by another phone call. His spirits sank a little when he heard Hotch's voice and knew there was a new case.

"Hey, buddy. I have to go into work. Hotch said that Jessica said you can come stay with her and Jack. Would you like that?"

Henry nodded his little blond head. "I like to play with Jack, but I miss mommy and daddy, and you."

"I know, I'm gonna miss you too. I'll come right over to see you and the new baby when we get back. Deal."

He stuck out his hand and Henry shook it. "Okay, let's get your stuff and I'll take you over to Jessica's house before I go to work.

He helped Henry gather his things. He made sure to grab his messenger and go bags. As they hurried out into the warm afternoon, he hoped that Henry would be okay. A sibling, after years as an only child would be difficult, but Reid knew that JJ and Will would do everything they could to make sure that Henry knew he was loved. Spencer intended to do the same. After all, isn't that what godfathers are for?


End file.
